Pairing of a battery monitor to a communication device

ABSTRACT

A monitoring system comprises a storage device monitor and a communication device. The storage device monitor is powered by an energy storage device (e.g., battery or fuel cell) to which the storage device monitor is attached. The communication device is mounted on an industrial vehicle or battery charger. A load is electrically connected to the communication device that is external to and independent from the storage device monitor. In operation, the communication device transmits an encoded message to the load. A controller of the storage device monitor detects the encoded message by sensing changes in a characteristic of the energy storage device that occur responsive to the communication device transmitting the encoded message to the load. The controller of the storage device monitor converts the encoded message into a discovery parameter, and pairs with the communication device across a wireless network based upon the discovery parameter.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/832,681, entitled PAIRING OF A BATTERY MONITOR TO A COMMUNICATIONDEVICE, filed Mar. 15, 2013, now allowed, the disclosure of which ishereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates in general to wirelessly linking twocommunications devices.

Industrial batteries represent a significant operating cost foroperators of fleets of industrial vehicles. In this regard, operatingcost is realized in both servicing the battery (e.g., recharging thebattery, performing maintenance on the battery, etc.) and in replacementof a worn out battery.

Lead-acid batteries represent a predominant type of industrial battery,especially for electrically operated vehicles such as forklift trucks.However, despite over one hundred years of proven reliability in use andrelatively low acquisition cost per kilowatt hour, lead-acid batteries,like all batteries still require service and eventual replacement.

BRIEF SUMMARY

According to aspects of the present disclosure, a monitoring system forindustrial vehicles, comprises a storage device monitor and acommunication device. More particularly, the storage device monitor ispowered by an energy storage device to which the storage device monitoris attached. The storage device monitor comprises a wirelesstransceiver, a sensor capable of sensing an energy storage devicecharacteristic, and a controller coupled to the wireless transceiver andthe sensor. The communication device is mounted to an industrialvehicle, where the communication device and the industrial vehicle arealso powered by the energy storage device. The communication devicecomprises a wireless transceiver. Also, a load is electrically connectedto the communication device, where the load is external to, andindependent from, the storage device monitor. In operation, thecommunication device is programmed to transmit an encoded message to theload. Moreover, the controller of the storage device monitor isprogrammed to detect, using the sensor, the encoded message by sensingchanges in the energy storage device characteristic that occurresponsive to the communication device transmitting the encoded messageto the load. The controller of the storage device monitor is furtherprogrammed to convert the encoded message into a discovery parameter,and pair with the communication device across a wireless network basedupon the discovery parameter. Thereafter, the communication device andthe storage device monitor wirelessly communicate information betweeneach other using the paired wireless connection.

According to further aspects of the present disclosure, a monitoringsystem comprises a storage device monitor and a communication device.The storage device monitor is powered by an energy storage device towhich the storage device monitor is attached. Moreover, the storagedevice monitor comprises a wireless transceiver, a sensor capable ofsensing an energy storage device characteristic, and a controllercoupled to the wireless transceiver and the sensor. The communicationdevice is mounted on a battery charger. Moreover, the communicationdevice comprises a wireless transceiver. Also, a load is electricallyconnected to the communication device. Here, the load is external to andindependent from the storage device monitor. In operation, thecommunication device is programmed to transmit an encoded message to theload. The controller of the storage device monitor is programmed todetect, using the sensor, the encoded message by sensing changes in theenergy storage device characteristic that occur responsive to thecommunication device transmitting the encoded message to the load. Thecontroller of the storage device monitor is further programmed toconvert the encoded message into a discovery parameter, and pair withthe communication device across a wireless network based upon thediscovery parameter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic of an illustrative operating environment in whichaspects of the disclosure herein may be practiced;

FIG. 2 is a view of an industrial vehicle having a battery that powersthe industrial vehicle, a battery monitor that monitors the battery, anda communication device that functions as a communication device forwirelessly communicating with a computing environment, according toaspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3A is a block diagram of some of the features and the relationshipsbetween the battery monitor and the communication device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 3B is a block diagram of some of the features and the relationshipsbetween the battery monitor and a communication device provided on abattery recharger;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a method for pairing the battery monitor tothe communication device, according to aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a method for pairing the battery monitor tothe communication device from the perspective of the battery monitor,according to aspects of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a method for pairing the battery monitor tothe communication device from the perspective of the communicationdevice, according to aspects of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

According to various aspects of the present disclosure, approaches areprovided for uniquely pairing a battery monitor to a communicationdevice for wireless communication therebetween. This allows, forinstance, battery usage information to be wirelessly communicated fromthe battery monitor to the communication device. Moreover, the pairingmay allow the communication device to communicate information to thebattery monitor. More particularly, a battery monitor is provided on anindustrial vehicle battery for monitoring battery use. As such, when thebattery is installed in an industrial vehicle, the battery monitor ismobile with the industrial vehicle. The industrial vehicle may also havea communication device that allows communication between a remote servercomputer and the industrial vehicle. As such, the communication deviceis also mobile with the same industrial vehicle as the battery monitor.

Connecting the battery monitor to the communication device with directwire connections may not be practical or desirable. For instance, it maybe possible to damage the wire(s) connecting the battery monitor to thecommunication device during the installation and the removal of thebattery, during use of the industrial vehicle, or through otheractivities. Moreover, a user installing a battery in the industrialvehicle may forget to make the connection between the battery monitorand the communication device. Accordingly, aspects of the presentdisclosure herein provide wireless communication to be carried outbetween the battery monitor and the communication device, while both thebattery monitor and the communication device are mounted, installed on,or otherwise coupled to the same industrial vehicle.

Wireless communication requires creating a unique communication linkbetween the battery monitor and the communication device on the sameindustrial vehicle. The wireless communication may be carried out by aprocess referred to herein as “pairing”. Essentially, one device, e.g.,the battery monitor, wirelessly broadcasts its existence, and the otherdevice, e.g., the communication device on the industrial vehicle detectsthe battery monitor.

The battery monitor typically remains attached to the correspondingindustrial battery. Moreover, industrial batteries are often movedbetween industrial vehicles. To compound the issues, it is often thecase that numerous industrial vehicles may be in close proximity to oneanother. As such, a communication device on a first industrial vehiclemay see numerous battery monitors broadcasting their existence. As such,aspects of the present disclosure herein, provides systems, methods andcomputer program products that allow a battery monitor attached to anindustrial vehicle battery (which is installed in a given industrialvehicle), to uniquely and positively pair with the communication devicealso attached to the same industrial vehicle, in a fully automated way,without the need for manual intervention.

Accordingly, aspects of the present disclosure provide for the wirelesspairing of the battery monitor to the communication device so that thecommunication device can receive battery usage information wirelesslyfrom the battery monitor. The unique pairing between the battery monitorand the communication device is carried out without operatorintervention or other operator-required inputs, making the collection ofbattery usage information automated.

System Architecture

Aspects of the present disclosure comprise systems that enableindustrial vehicles to wirelessly communicate with applications deployedin an enterprise computing environment. As used herein, an industrialvehicle is any equipment that is capable of moving or otherwise beingmoved about a work site. Exemplary industrial vehicles include materialshandling vehicles, such as forklift trucks, reach trucks, turret trucks,walkie stacker trucks, tow tractors, hand operated pallet trucks, etc.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to FIG. 1, an exemplarycomputing environment 10 is illustrated, which includes components thatsupport wireless communication capabilities. A plurality of industrialvehicles 12, such as materials handling vehicles (shown as forklifttrucks for convenience of illustration), each include a communicationsdevice that enables that industrial vehicle 12 to wirelessly communicatewith a remote processing device, such as an industrial vehicleapplication server 14. The industrial vehicle application server 14 mayfurther interact with a data resource 16, e.g., one or more databases,data stores or other sources of information, to facilitate interactionwith the industrial vehicles 12 as will be described in greater detailherein.

The computing environment 10 may further support additional processingdevices 18, which may comprise for example, servers, personal computers,etc. One or more of the processing devices 18 may also communicate withthe industrial vehicles 12 and/or the industrial vehicle applicationserver 14 across the computing environment 10.

The wireless communication architecture may be based upon a standardwireless fidelity (WiFi) infrastructure, such as may be deployed usingstandard 802.11.xx wireless networks for a communications protocol.However, any other suitable protocol may alternatively be implemented.In an exemplary WiFi implementation, one or more wireless access points20 may be utilized to relay data between a wireless transceiver of eachindustrial vehicle 12 and one or more wired devices of the computingenvironment 10, e.g., the industrial vehicle application server 14.

Moreover, the computing environment 10 may be supported by one or morehubs 22 and/or other networking components that interconnect the varioushardware and/or software processing devices, including for example,routers, firewalls, network interfaces and correspondinginterconnections. The particular networking components provided in thecomputing environment 10 may thus be selected to support one or moreintranets, extranets, local area networks (LAN), wide area networks(WAN), wireless networks (WiFi), the Internet, including the world wideweb, and/or other arrangements for enabling communication across thecomputing environment 10, either real time or otherwise, e.g., via timeshifting, batch processing, etc.

In this regard, the computing environment 10 may make up part of alarger computing enterprise. A computing enterprise may link computerprocessing devices across one or more locations, where the processingdevices are under the control, ownership or supervision of a commonentity. For instance, a warehouse may have two or more physicalbuildings organized such that each building forms a computingenvironment 10, and the two computing environments 10 can be linked soto form a computing enterprise.

Also, one or more computing devices may further communicate with aremote server 30 across a network 32 such as the Internet. The remoteserver 30 may comprise, for example, a third party server (e.g.,operated by the industrial vehicle manufacturer) that interacts with theindustrial vehicles 12, the industrial vehicle application server 14,processing devices 18 of the computing environment(s) 10, processingdevices of the computing enterprise(s), or combinations thereof. Theremote server 30 may further interact with a data resource 34, e.g., oneor more databases, data stores or other sources of information.

Industrial Vehicle Data Collection

Referring to FIG. 2, an industrial vehicle 12 includes a communicationdevice 38 (also referred to herein as an information linking device), anindustrial vehicle battery 40 comprised of a plurality of battery cells42 and a battery monitor 44 that monitors battery usage. Thecommunication device 38 is utilized as part of a comprehensive vehiclemanagement system that works in cooperation with one or more servers,e.g., as described above with reference to FIG. 1. Similarly, thebattery monitor 44 is utilized as part of a comprehensive batterymanagement system that also works in cooperation with one or moreservers, e.g., as described above with reference to FIG. 1.

The communication device 38 and other aspects of the industrial vehicle12 and corresponding computer environment described with reference toFIGS. 1 and 2 can incorporate any of the features and structures as setout in U.S. Pat. No. 8,060,400 to Wellman, entitled “Fleet ManagementSystem”, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

Communication Device

Referring to FIG. 3A, according to aspects of the present disclosure,the communication device 38 may be implemented as an information linkingdevice provided on an industrial vehicle. The illustrative communicationdevice 38 comprises the necessary circuitry to implement wirelesscommunication, data and information processing, and wired communicationto components of the industrial vehicle. As a few illustrative examples,the communication device 38 has a transceiver 52 for wirelesscommunication. Although a single transceiver 52 is illustrated forconvenience, in practice, one or more wireless communicationtechnologies may be provided. For instance, the communication device 38may be able to communicate with a remote server, e.g., server 14 of FIG.1, via an 802.11.xx across the access points 20 of FIG. 1. Thetransceiver 52 may also optionally support other wireless communication,such as cellular, Bluetooth, infrared (IR) or any other technology orcombination of technologies.

The communication device 38 also comprises a control module 54, having aprocessor coupled to memory for implementing computer instructions,including the relevant methods (or aspects thereof) as set out anddescribed more fully herein. Still further, the control module canimplement processes such as operator log on, pre-use inspectionchecklists, data monitoring and other features, examples of which aredescribed more fully in U.S. Pat. No. 8,060,400 to Wellman, alreadyincorporated by reference herein.

The communication device 38 further includes vehicle power enablingcircuitry 56 to disable the industrial vehicle, partially enable theindustrial vehicle for operation, or fully enable the industrial vehiclefor operation. Still further, the communication device 38 includes amonitoring input output (I/O) module 58 to communicate via wiredconnection to devices mounted to or otherwise on the industrial vehicle,such as sensors, meters, encoders, switches, etc. (collectivelyrepresented by reference numeral 60). The communication device 38 isalso connected to a component such as a load 62, as will be described ingreater detail herein.

The communication device 38 is coupled to and/or communicates with otherindustrial vehicle system components via a suitable industrial vehiclenetwork system 62, e.g., a vehicle network bus. The industrial vehiclenetwork system 62 is any wired or wireless network, bus or othercommunications capability that allows electronic components of theindustrial vehicle 12 to communicate with each other. As an example, theindustrial vehicle network system may comprise a controller area network(CAN) bus, ZigBee, Bluetooth, Local Interconnect Network (LIN),time-triggered data-bus protocol (TTP) or other suitable communicationstrategy. As will be described more fully herein, utilization of theindustrial vehicle network system enables seamless integration of thecomponents of the industrial vehicle communication device 38 into thenative electronics including controllers of the industrial vehicle 12and optionally, any electronics peripherals associated with theindustrial vehicle 12 that integrate with and can communicate over thenetwork system. For instance, as illustrated, the communication device38 connects with, understands and is capable of communication withnative vehicle components, such as controllers, modules, devices, busenabled sensors, etc. (collectively referred to by reference 64).

The communication device 38 can also communicate with a FOB 66 (orkeypad, card reader or any other device for receiving operator log inidentification. Still further, the communication device 38 can include adisplay and/or other features (not shown) to provide desired processingcapability.

According to various aspects of the present disclosure, when a battery40 is installed in the industrial vehicle 12, a plug 70 is used toconnect a battery cable 72 to a vehicle power cable 74. In anillustrative implementation, when the battery cable 72 is plugged intothe vehicle power cable 74 via the plug 70, the communication device 38is powered up. The processor in the control module 54 boots up and thecommunication device 38 can begin to perform desired processing,independent of the industrial vehicle being started or otherwiseenergized for normal operation. For instance, as illustrated, thecommunication device 38 can use the vehicle power enabling circuitry 56to selectively enable power to one or more vehicle components, e.g.,based upon authenticated operator login or other logic.

Battery Monitor

The battery monitor 44 communicates with the communication device 38,the information server 14 or both. More particularly, the batterymonitor 44 communicates with the communication device 38 using wirelesstechnology, e.g., Bluetooth. The battery monitor 44 is (optionallypermanently and physically) attached to the battery 40 and includes aprocessor, memory coupled to the processor, a transceiver, and otherelectrical structures to implement battery monitoring. Particularly, thebattery monitor 44 samples characteristics of the battery 40 measured bythe included sensors 76. Characteristics of the battery may comprisecurrent (drawn from the battery or supplied to the battery during use,such as in regenerative braking, etc.), voltage, resistance, power,temperature (ambient or within the battery), fluid level, impedance,resistance, dynamic/transient loading, battery chemistry or any othermeasurable parameter of interest in monitoring of a battery, e.g., whileconnected to an industrial vehicle.

For instance, the illustrated battery monitor 44 interfaces with varioussensors 76, such as a current sensor, one or more temperature sensors, awater level sensor, voltage sensor, impedance sensor, etc. The resultscan be stored in the memory of the battery monitor 44 itself, or thesamples can be communicated to the communication device 38 forprocessing or storage. The communication device 38 can subsequentlyforward any information received from the battery monitor 44 to theinformation server 14, etc. Moreover, the communication device 38 cansend summarized, compressed, or otherwise manipulated batteryinformation to a remote server, e.g., server 14 in FIG. 1.

As used in the specification and claims, a “battery monitor” includes amonitor that monitors parameters, operating conditions, etc., of anenergy storage device that is used to deliver power to a load such as anindustrial vehicle. In many practical applications, the energy storagedevice is a battery. However, the energy storage device mayalternatively comprise a fuel cell or other suitable device, such as abattery in combination with a supercap, etc.

Battery Charger

Referring to FIG. 3B, the communication device 38 may also be providedon, or otherwise associated with a device such as a battery charger 80.In a manner analogous to that described above with reference to FIG. 3A,the communication device 38 of the battery charger 80 comprises atransceiver 82 for wireless communication. For instance, thecommunication device 38 may be able to communicate with a remote server,e.g., server 14 of FIG. 1, via an 802.11.xx across the access thenetwork of FIG. 1. The transceiver 82 may also optionally support otherwireless communication, such as cellular, Bluetooth, infrared (IR) orany other technology or combination of technologies.

The communication device 38 also comprises a control module 84, having aprocessor coupled to memory for implementing computer instructions,including the relevant methods (or aspects thereof) as set out anddescribed more fully herein. For instance, the control module 84 can beused to facilitate pairing with a corresponding battery monitor 44,using techniques as set out in greater detail herein.

Still further, the communication device 38 includes a monitoring inputoutput (I/O) module 86 to communicate via wired connection to acomponent such as a load 62. In this manner, the load 62 is analogous tothat described with reference to FIG. 3A. The communication device 38further includes battery charging circuitry to recharge a batterycoupled to the battery charger 80.

According to various aspects of the present disclosure, when a battery40 is connected to the battery recharger 80, a plug 70 is used toconnect the battery cable 72 to the battery charger power cable 94.

The battery monitor 44 communicates with the communication device 38,the information server 14 or both. More particularly, the batterymonitor 44 communicates with the communication device 38 using wirelesstechnology, e.g., Bluetooth. This allows, for instance, the batterymonitor 44 to communicate battery charging parameters to the batterycharger 80. Also, the battery charger 80 can communicate data to thebattery monitor 44, e.g., data regarding charging operations, etc. Inthis regard, the battery monitor 44 can pair with a battery charger 80during battery charging operations. Details about the charging operationcan be transferred to the battery monitor 44, or the battery charger 80can communicate the details of the charge event directly to a server,e.g., where the battery charger is communicatively coupled to a servervia a network. Where the battery charger 80 communicates information tothe battery monitor 44, the battery monitor 44 can subsequently forwardthat collected information to the communication device 38 on anindustrial vehicle 12 when the corresponding battery is disconnectedfrom the battery charger 80 and is reconnected to a correspondingindustrial vehicle. As such, information can be automatically passedbetween the battery charger 80, the battery monitor 44 and thecommunication device 38 on a corresponding industrial vehicle 12 towhich the corresponding battery is installed. Any of the above devicescan further forward such collected information to a server, e.g., servercomputer 14 of FIG. 1.

Pairing the Battery Monitor to the Communication Device

Referring to FIG. 4, a method 100 is provided, for uniquely pairing abattery monitor to a communication device, e.g., on an industrialvehicle having a battery (e.g., pairing the battery monitor 44 to thecommunication device 38, e.g., on the industrial vehicle 12 of FIGS. 1,2, 3A) or a communication device 38 on a battery charger (e.g., batterycharger 80 of FIG. 3B). The method 100 comprises detecting, by thebattery monitor, an encoded message at 102. The encoded message isdetected by sensing changes in a characteristic of the battery thatoccur responsive to the communication device transmitting the encodedmessage to a component.

Consider the example of FIG. 3A where the communication device 38 isprovided with an industrial vehicle 12. As illustrated in FIG. 3A, thebattery monitor 44 includes a sensor 76 to monitor the battery 40, suchas a current sensor that allows the battery monitor 44 to sense thecurrent flowing into or out of the battery 40. Also, the communicationdevice 38 may transmit the encoded message to a component (by way ofexample, load 62 in FIG. 3A) on the industrial vehicle 12. In thisregard, the load can be any device that causes current to flow to orfrom the battery. In the exemplary implementation, as best seen in FIG.3A, the communication device 38 is wired to the load 62. In the aboveexemplary implementation, the component, e.g., load 62, is external to,independent from and otherwise unrelated to the battery monitor 44. Thatis, the load does not form an integral component of the batterymonitoring system.

Notably, the industrial vehicle battery 40 provides the current drawn bycomponents of the industrial vehicle during use of the vehicle.Accordingly, the communication device will draw power from the batteryto communicate the encoded message across the load 62. For instance, asthe battery 40 provides current to the communication device 38 tocommunicate the encoded message to the load 62, the sensor 76, e.g., acurrent sensing donut, shunt, etc. of the battery monitor 44, detectsthe current draw on the battery. The processor of the battery monitor 44reads the encoded message from the detected fluctuations in current drawcorresponding to/responsive to the encoded message. That is, the batterymonitor 44 detects the changes in current from the battery 40 as poweris drawn from the battery 40 to drive the load 62 responsive to theencoded message. As such, the battery monitor 44 can detect the encodedmessage itself.

The method also comprises converting at 104, the encoded message into adiscovery parameter. For instance, the battery monitor 44 may detectspikes in the battery current drawn from the battery, where the spikesoccur in a pattern corresponding to the value of the encoded messagebeing driven. Data from the detected spikes may be loaded into an arrayor other structure so as to be converted (e.g., by using hexadecimalconversion) into a discovery parameter.

There are a number of ways to implement the discovery parameter. Forinstance, the discovery parameter may comprise a discovery name that isbroadcast as part of the pairing operation. As another example, thediscovery parameter may comprise a substitute MAC address. For instance,in Bluetooth pairing, a device in discoverable mode may broadcast boththe discovery name and a MAC address. As such, the communication device38 may encode a substitute MAC address that the battery monitor 44 canuse to replace the MAC address that is broadcast as part of the pairingoperation. As still a further example, the discovery parameter maycomprise a security code such as a passkey. The passkey is an optionalverification that is performed at the time of pairing. According tostill further aspects of the present disclosure, the encoded message mayencode more than one aspect into the discovery parameter. For example,the encoded message may include a discovery name, a substitute MACaddress, a passkey, other attribute, or any combination thereof.

The method still further comprises setting up at 106, a paired wirelessconnection between the communication device on the industrial vehicleand the battery monitor using the discovery parameter. Examples ofpairing are further described below with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

The method still further comprises using at 108, the paired wirelessconnection thereafter, to wirelessly communicate information between thebattery monitor and the communication device.

In illustrative implementations, an event is utilized to set thecommunication device 38 and the battery monitor 44 into a “discoverymode” which causes the communication device 38 and the battery monitor44 to pair. For instance, the method 100 may further comprise detecting,by the battery monitor, a triggering event. The triggering event is anyevent that causes the battery monitor and communication device toattempt to pair. The triggering event may be caused by conditions suchas the communication device booting up and wanting to pair with thebattery monitor, detecting a connection of the battery to the industrialvehicle, loss of the wireless connection, a predetermined time interval,etc. In an illustrative implementation, upon detecting the triggeringevent, the battery monitor begins, e.g., waits, polls for or otherwiselistens for, the encoded message.

As a non-limiting illustration of a triggering event, prior tocommunicating the encoded message at 102, the method may comprisedetecting that a power cable has been connected between a battery andthe industrial vehicle. For instance, a battery 40 may be removed froman industrial vehicle 12 for a number of reasons, e.g., to recharge,repurpose to a different vehicle, etc. When the battery 40 isinstalled/re-installed on the industrial vehicle 12, the power istypically connected by plugging the battery 40 into a power cable,harness, connector or other configuration, e.g., as schematicallyrepresented by connector 70 and cables 72, 74.

When power is provided/restored to the industrial vehicle 12, thecommunication device 38 will boot up. Moreover, the battery monitor 44will be already booted up and operational since it is provided on thebattery 40 and can draw power from the battery regardless of whether thebattery is installed in an industrial vehicle. As such, despite the factthat the industrial vehicle itself has not been started up, both thebattery monitor 44 and the communication device 38 are fullyoperational. As such, the booting up of the communication device 38could trigger an attempt to pair a wireless connection between thebattery monitor 44 and the communication device 38.

This approach may be advantageous in that the industrial vehicle 12 isnot likely started up for normal operation. As such, it may be the casethat only the communication device 38 and the battery monitor 44 aredrawing power from the industrial vehicle battery 40, thus makingdetection of the encoded message more reliable. For instance, the amountof noise in the battery system will be minimal. Of course, thecommunication of the encoded message may occur at other times, includingtimes when the industrial vehicle is operational and/or being operated.

In order for the battery monitor 44 to pair with the communicationdevice 38, the encoded message is converted into a discovery parameter.This may comprise mapping the encoded message to a new value, performinga manipulation (e.g., binary to hex conversion), calculation,transformation or other data processing to the encoded message.Alternatively, the encoded message could be converted into the discoveryparameter without any data manipulation. That is, the value of theencoded representation could be the discovery parameter itself.Moreover, as noted above, the encoded message may be mapped to adiscovery name, substitute MAC address, passkey, or combinationsthereof.

Additional details and examples of pairing the battery monitor 44 to thecommunication device 38 are described further below with regard to FIGS.5 and 6, which described method of pairing the battery monitor 44 to thecommunication device 38 from the perspective of the battery monitor(FIG. 5) and from the communication device (FIG. 6).

Pairing Actions of the Battery Monitor

Referring to FIG. 5, a method 200 of pairing a battery monitor to acommunication device on an industrial vehicle is illustrated. The method200 is implemented from the perspective of the battery monitor. Forinstance, in an illustrative implementation, the actions of the method200 are performed by the battery monitor 44, e.g., responsive to anattempt to pair with the communication device 30.

The method comprises optionally detecting at 202, a triggering event.While optional, the detection of a triggering event may be useful todefine a period/time/interval in which pairing is attempted. In anexemplary implementation, the method may further comprise mounting thebattery monitor physically on the battery and connecting a sensor of thebattery monitor so as to monitor current communicated through the powercable. As noted in the example above, since the battery monitor iscoupled to the battery, it is powered up as long as the battery has acharge. Also, when the battery is plugged into the industrial vehicle,the communication device may wake up. As such, as with the exampledescribed with reference to FIG. 4, the waking up of the communicationdevice can serve as a trigger to make an attempt to pair the batterymonitor to the communication device. That is, the battery monitor canbegin to wait, listen for, poll for or otherwise attempt to identify theencoded message. Thus, the pairing can occur before the vehicle isstarted for normal operation. Alternatively, another trigger may beutilized.

The method 200 also comprises detecting at 204, an encoded message bysensing changes in a characteristic of the battery that occur responsiveto the communication device transmitting the encoded message to acomponent of the industrial vehicle. For instance, as in the examplesdescribed above, the communication device 38 can transmit the encodedmessage to the load 62, which is external to the battery monitor 44.

The method further comprises converting at 206, the encoded message intoa discovery parameter, and setting up at 208 a paired wirelessconnection with the communication device on the industrial vehicle usingthe discovery parameter. The method 200 still further comprises using at210, the paired wireless connection thereafter, to wirelesslycommunicate information between the battery monitor and thecommunication device.

According to illustrative aspects of the present disclosure, the batterymanagement module and the communication device communicate wirelesslyusing Bluetooth. In order for pairing in Bluetooth to take place, theBluetooth pairing protocol must be followed. In an exemplaryimplementation, the discovery parameter is used to set up a pairedwireless connection with the communication device on the industrialvehicle by implementing a discoverable mode. Here, the battery monitorwirelessly transmits the discovery parameter as a broadcast name. Thecommunication device recognizes the discovery name that it placed intothe encoded message and issues a pairing request. Thus the pairingrequest is from the communication device to the battery monitor.

Accordingly, the communication device indirectly feeds the Bluetoothdevice of the battery monitor at least one pairing parameter tobroadcast, a passkey to verify against, or both. The communicationdevice knows which parameter(s) it encoded into the encoded message,which was communicated the external load, and is thus able to negotiatepairing with the battery monitor 44.

As an example, assume that the discovery parameter is a discovery name.During Bluetooth pairing and discovery, instead of the battery monitorbroadcasting a name programmed by the manufacture, the battery monitorbroadcasts the unique name identified by the communication device. Sincethe communication device provided the name to the battery monitor, thecommunication device can pick out the correct Bluetooth device to pairwith, even in situations where there are multiple candidates in thevicinity of the industrial vehicle that are identified during discovery.

As another example, during Bluetooth discoverable mode, a deviceattempting to pair may broadcast not only a discovery name, but also aMAC address. The communication device may have provided a substitute MACaddress in the encoded message. Accordingly, the Bluetooth devicereplaces its normally broadcast MAC address with the substitute MACaddress provided by the communication device. In this example, thecommunication device detects one or more Bluetooth devices indiscoverable mode. The communication device builds a list of availableBluetooth devices, and then scans the discovery name and MAC address inthe list to try to find a MAC address that matches the substitute MACaddress that it communicated in the encoded message.

Thus, the battery monitor substitutes its MAC address with a substituteMAC address received from the communication device. Since thecommunication device knows the substitute MAC address, it can pick outthe corresponding battery monitor despite multiple battery monitorsbroadcasting discovery requests in the vicinity of the communicationdevice.

As still yet a further example, the communication device may encode apasskey in the encoded message. During an attempt to pair, thecommunication device may see one or more battery monitors attempting topair. For instance, assume that the communication device 38 sees fourbattery monitors, broadcasting the discovery names BAT1, BAT2, BAT3 andBAT4, respectively. The communication device does not immediately knowwhich battery monitor is installed on the battery that is powering thecorresponding industrial vehicle. As such, the communication devicepicks BAT1 and attempts to pair. When BAT1 is selected, thecommunication device and the battery monitor that broadcast BAT1exchange passkeys. If a security value of the communication devicematches the passkey received by the battery module associated with thediscovery name BAT1, then pairing is implemented. If a security value ofthe communication device does not match the passkey of the batterymonitor, pairing is unsuccessful. As such, the communication devicetries BAT2. The above process continues until the communication devicefinds a battery monitor that has a passkey that matches the securityvalue of the communication device.

Yet further, a battery monitor may receive both a discovery name and apasskey, a substitute MAC address and a passkey, or both a discoveryname and a substitute MAC address. In these instances, the communicationdevice may be able to pick out the correct battery monitor based uponthe broadcast information alone.

As an alternative to the above, and keeping with the example that thediscovery parameter corresponds to discovery name, the communicationdevice can broadcast its name for pairing. In this exemplaryconfiguration, it is the communication device (not the battery monitor)that broadcasts a discovery name. Thus, the discoverable mode isimplemented by the battery monitor searching names that are wirelesslybroadcast for a match to the discovery parameter, which has beentransmitted by the communication device on the industrial vehicle to thebattery monitor. In this regard, the method may comprise issuing apairing request from the battery monitor to the communication device.Thus, the pairing procedure works in either direction based upon theunique discovery parameter communicated by the communication device tothe battery monitor. The difference lying in which device broadcasts andwhich device sends the pairing request.

Moreover, if the battery monitor and the communication device wirelesslypair using Bluetooth, other processes and procedures native to Bluetoothmay be implemented. For instance, the battery monitor and thecommunication device can negotiate a passkey to authenticate thecommunication device to the battery monitor, etc.

The battery monitor can store information related to the pairing withthe communication device. Moreover, pairing between the communicationdevice and the battery monitor can persist until the battery cable isdisconnected from the industrial vehicle independent of whether theindustrial vehicle is powered on for normal operation.

Pairing Actions of the Communication Device

Referring to FIG. 6 a method 300 of pairing a battery monitor to acommunication device on a materials handling vehicle is provided. Themethod 300 is implemented from the perspective of the communicationdevice. For instance, in an illustrative implementation, the actions ofthe method 300 are performed by the communication device 30, e.g.,responsive to an attempt to pair with the battery monitor 44.

Analogous to the method 200 of FIG. 5, the method 200 comprisesoptionally detecting at 302, a triggering event. While optional, thedetection of a triggering event may be useful to define aperiod/time/interval in which pairing is attempted. For instance, themethod 300 may detect that a power cable has been connected between abattery and the industrial vehicle.

The method may also comprise converting at 304, a unique identificationinto the encoded message. For instance, the communication device sendsto the battery monitor, a message that identifies at least a discoveryparameter that is also known to the communication device. To avoidconfusion in pairing, the discovery parameter should be a uniqueidentification known to the communication device. For instance, thediscovery parameter should be unique, at least to the broadcast areawithin which the industrial vehicle (and hence, the communication device38 and the battery monitor 44) operate. An exemplary way of generating aunique discovery parameter is for the communication device to convertits MAC address to the encoded message. So as not to be confused withthe example above with reference to FIG. 5, the MAC address of thecommunication device may serve as a unique discovery name, as asubstitute MAC address of the battery monitor for purposes ofdiscoverable mode broadcasting by the battery monitor, or both. Theunique identifier may be associated with the discovery name, substituteMAC address, passkey (e.g., a security code) or combinations thereof.

As a few other examples, the communication device may obtain the uniqueidentification from a remote server computer, or otherwise acquire theunique identifier. In this regard, the remote server may serve theunique discovery parameters to an entire fleet of industrial vehicleswith their corresponding communication device/battery monitor. Bycontrolling all of the discovery parameters, the server can ensure thateach discovery parameter is unique, despite an entire fleet ofindustrial vehicles being operated in close proximity.

The method 300 also comprises transmitting at 306, the encoded messageto a component of the industrial vehicle that is external to the batterymonitor, so as to be detected by the battery monitor sensing changes ina characteristic of the battery responsive to the encoded message, wherethe encoded message corresponds to a unique discovery parameter. Forinstance, as described in greater detail herein, the communicationdevice can drive a load with the encoded message, as explained morefully herein.

The method further comprises setting up at 308, a paired wirelessconnection with the battery monitor on the industrial vehicle using thediscovery parameter, where the pairing is based upon the encoded messagecommunicated from the communication device to the component, and usingat 310, the paired wireless connection thereafter, to wirelesslycommunicate information between the battery monitor and thecommunication device.

For instance, as described in greater detail above, illustrativeimplementations may comprise booting up the communication device inresponse to power being connected to the industrial vehicle by thebattery, and transmitting the encoded message before the industrialvehicle is powered up for normal operation.

Moreover, as noted above with reference to FIG. 5, where Bluetooth isutilized, a paired wireless connection can be set up with the batterymonitor on the industrial vehicle using the discovery parameter. As anexample, the communication device may implement a discoverable mode bywirelessly transmitting the discovery parameter as a broadcast name andreceiving a pairing request from the battery monitor. Alternatively, thecommunication device may implement a discoverable mode by searchingnames that are wirelessly broadcast for a match to the known discoveryparameter, which has been previously transmitted to the battery monitor.If the discovery parameter is located, the communication device issues apairing request to the battery monitor.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure.As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

The description of the present disclosure has been presented forpurposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to beexhaustive or limited to the disclosure in the form disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of thedisclosure.

Having thus described the disclosure of the present application indetail and by reference to embodiments thereof, it will be apparent thatmodifications and variations are possible without departing from thescope of the disclosure defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A monitoring system for industrial vehicles,comprising: a storage device monitor that is powered by an energystorage device to which the storage device monitor is attached, thestorage device monitor comprising: a wireless transceiver; a sensorcapable of sensing an energy storage device characteristic; and acontroller coupled to the wireless transceiver and the sensor; acommunication device mounted to an industrial vehicle, the communicationdevice and the industrial vehicle also powered by the energy storagedevice, the communication device comprising a wireless transceiver; anda load that is electrically connected to the communication device,wherein the load is external to and independent from the storage devicemonitor; wherein: the communication device is programmed to transmit anencoded message to the load; the controller of the storage devicemonitor is programmed to: detect, using the sensor, the encoded messageby sensing changes in the energy storage device characteristic thatoccur responsive to the communication device transmitting the encodedmessage to the load; convert the encoded message into a discoveryparameter; and pair with the communication device across a wirelessnetwork based upon the discovery parameter; and the communication deviceand the storage device monitor wirelessly communicate informationbetween each other using the paired wireless connection.
 2. Themonitoring system of claim 1, wherein: the discovery parameter includesa broadcast name; and the controller of the storage device monitor isprogrammed to pair with the communication device by being programmed to:broadcast, via the wireless transceiver of the storage device monitor,the broadcast name to the wireless transceiver of the communicationsdevice; receive, in response to broadcasting the broadcast name, apairing request from the wireless transceiver of the communicationsdevice; and pair with the communication device.
 3. The monitoring systemof claim 1, wherein: the discovery parameter includes a substitute mediaaccess control (MAC) address; and the controller of the storage devicemonitor is programmed to pair with the communication device by beingprogrammed to: broadcast, via the wireless transceiver of the storagedevice monitor, the substitute MAC address to the wireless transceiverof the communications device; receive, in response to broadcasting thesubstitute MAC address, a pairing request from the wireless transceiverof the communications device; and pair with the communication device. 4.The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein: the discovery parameterincludes a passkey; and the controller of the storage device monitor isprogrammed to pair with the communication device by being programmed to:broadcast, via the wireless storage device monitor transceiver, adiscovery name to the communications device transceiver; receive, inresponse to broadcasting the discovery name, a pairing request includinga security value from the wireless communications device transceiver;and pair with the communication device if the security value matches thepasskey.
 5. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the controller ofthe storage device monitor is further programmed to: enter a discoverymode when detecting a triggering event; and listen for the encodedmessage until the encoded message is detected.
 6. The monitoring systemof claim 1, wherein the energy storage device is a battery.
 7. Themonitoring system of claim 1, wherein the energy storage device is afuel cell.
 8. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the controllerof the storage device monitor is programmed to convert the encodedmessage into a discovery parameter by being programmed to process theencoded message to generate the discovery parameter.
 9. The monitoringsystem of claim 1, wherein the controller of the storage device monitoris programmed to convert the encoded message into a discovery parameterby being programmed to use the encoded message as the discoveryparameter without any data manipulation.
 10. The monitoring system ofclaim 1, wherein: the sensor is a current sensor coupled to the energystorage device; and the controller of the storage device monitor isprogrammed to detect the encoded message by being programmed to detectcurrent drawn by the energy storage device responsive to thecommunication device transmitting the encoded message to the load. 11.The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is select one of: avoltage sensor; a resistance sensor; an impedance sensor; a powersensor; a temperature sensor; a fluid-level sensor; and a chemicalsensor.
 12. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein: the communicationdevice further includes power enabling circuitry; and the controller ofthe storage device monitor is programmed to pair with the communicationdevice by being programmed to pair with the communication device beforethe power enabling circuitry enables the industrial vehicle for normaloperation.
 13. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein: the wirelesstransceiver of the storage device monitor is a Bluetooth wirelesstransceiver; and the wireless transceiver of the communication device isa Bluetooth wireless transceiver.
 14. A monitoring system comprising: astorage device monitor that is powered by an energy storage device towhich the storage device monitor is attached, the storage device monitorcomprising: a wireless transceiver; a sensor capable of sensing anenergy storage device characteristic; and a controller coupled to thewireless transceiver and the sensor; a communication device mounted on abattery charger, the communication device comprising a wirelesstransceiver; and a load that is electrically connected to thecommunication device, wherein the load is external to and independentfrom the storage device monitor; wherein: the communication device isprogrammed to transmit an encoded message to the load; the controller ofthe storage device monitor is programmed to: detect, using the sensor,the encoded message by sensing changes in the energy storage devicecharacteristic that occur responsive to the communication devicetransmitting the encoded message to the load; convert the encodedmessage into a discovery parameter; and pair with the communicationdevice across a wireless network based upon the discovery parameter. 15.The monitoring system of claim 14, wherein: the discovery parameterincludes a broadcast name; and the controller of the storage devicemonitor is programmed to pair with the communication device by beingprogrammed to: broadcast, via the wireless transceiver of the storagedevice monitor, the broadcast name to the communications devicetransceiver; receive, in response to broadcasting the broadcast name, apairing request from the wireless transceiver of the communicationsdevice; and pair with the communication device.
 16. The monitoringsystem of claim 14, wherein: the discovery parameter includes asubstitute media access control (MAC) address; and the controller of thestorage device monitor is programmed to pair with the communicationdevice by being programmed to: broadcast, via the wireless transceiverof the storage device monitor, the substitute MAC address to thewireless transceiver of the communications device; receive, in responseto broadcasting the substitute MAC address, a pairing request from thewireless transceiver of the communications device; and pair with thecommunication device.
 17. The monitoring system of claim 14, wherein:the discovery parameter includes a passkey; and the controller of thestorage device monitor is programmed to pair with the communicationdevice by being programmed to: broadcast, via the wireless transceiverof the storage device monitor, a discovery name to the communicationsdevice transceiver; receive, in response to broadcasting the discoveryname, a pairing request including a security value from the wirelesstransceiver of the communications device; and pair with thecommunication device if the security value matches the passkey.
 18. Themonitoring system of claim 14, wherein the controller of the storagedevice monitor is programmed to convert the encoded message into adiscovery parameter by being programmed to process the encoded messageto generate the discovery parameter.
 19. The monitoring system of claim14, wherein the controller of the storage device monitor is programmedto convert the encoded message into a discovery parameter by beingprogrammed to use the encoded message as the discovery parameter withoutany data manipulation.
 20. The monitoring system of claim 14, wherein:the sensor is a current sensor coupled to the energy storage device; andthe controller of the storage device monitor is programmed to detect theencoded message by being programmed to detect current drawn by theenergy storage device responsive to the communication devicetransmitting the encoded message to the load.